Aggressive Driving Increasing? (Atlanta, Boston: transplants, school, inspection)

[yeah-yo]

I think I see more aggressive driving now. Aggressive driving has about four characteristics:
1. Tailgating
2. Changing lanes without a using a turn signal
3. Not allowing others to merge when necessary
4. General belligerence when driving

I think the increased traffic has caused people to freak out. Or maybe it is the new type of people moving into Atlanta. Do you think it is worse than before? Auto accidents kill millions of people, if you drive like above PLEASE stop it!

[atlantagreg30127]

It's not so much how many people are moving here, it's where these people are from.

Here's what you have to remember about a city like Atlanta: You have drivers here who are native Southerners. Mixed in with transplants from New York. Mixed in with transplants from Los Angeles. Mixed with folks from Nebraska, Texas, Louisianna, Miami, DC, and just about every other rural AND larger city, moving here.

Oh, and to that we can add transplants from other countries as well. Lots of UK and European folks moving here. An increase in those from Asian countries. Latin America countries. Mexico (both legal and illegal drivers).

So, take alllllllllllllll of those people. All of those driving backgrounds, experience levels, different styles and attitudes while driving. Then, put all of them on the I-285 beltway during rush hour.

PARTY!!
http://bestsmileys.com/dancing/14.gif (broken link)

[yeah-yo]

Aggressive driving has about four characteristics:
1. Tailgating
2. Changing lanes without a using a turn signal
3. Not allowing others to merge when necessary
4. General belligerence when driving

Yeah, but all the bad drivers drive the same way, as described above. Why do they all tailgate etc. if they are from these different backgrounds? I see really dangerous stuff. It's not bumper cars, they'll die at these speeds.

It is like they all went to the same bad driving school!

[JHoustonGriff76]

The sort of rude driving that has become the norm here is an inevitable result of having a multi-million population, huge sprawl, and a large variety of drivers from many backgrounds. It's not going improve anytime soon. Moving here from the DC area, driving in Atlanta seems pretty much normal to me. A little better, actually.

I pride myself on being a courteous driver. I never tailgate and I always let people merge. I admit that I rarely signal though, unless I'm cutting in real close or want merge into the next lane during a traffic crawl. I'm an army brat and grew up all over, but I learned to drive in the south (Mobile, AL) and started driving there, so I learned those driving habits. Signaling wasn't deemed important there, and in a lot of areas in the south. I honestly didn't even realize not signaling (when there's ample distance between you and the car behind, of course) might bother people. I don't expect others to signal and hardly notice when they do.

[cocopuffy]

I hate people who don't use turn signals the most! Every day a person in front of me brakes suddenly to jerk to the left or right to make a turn. I also love how in Downtown ANY lane is appropriate for a left hand turn! And people have the nerve to give ME a dirty look when I honk and them when they nearly take off the front of my car.

[JHoustonGriff76]

I never follow cars close enough that it matters if they suddenly slow up to turn or even come to a complete stop. Anyways, I was talking more about passing on the interstate. I'll usually signal to turn if the car behind me is riding my ass too close.

[Padgett2]

There are soooooo many more cars on the highways. The roads could at one time accomodate the bad drivers, but now? well, there's just not enough room for them and the rest of us.

What's the solution? More roads and wider roads won't help. Maybe a really bad gas shortage would. Maybe.

I hate the tailgaters the worse. I drive a fairly small car and some jerk in his big SUV or giant pickup, will get on my bumper. That's when I wish I had something hidden in the trunk that would reach back and rip the guts out of his precious macho vehicle.

[neil0311]

Originally Posted by atlantagreg30127

It's not so much how many people are moving here, it's where these people are from.

Here's what you have to remember about a city like Atlanta: You have drivers here who are native Southerners. Mixed in with transplants from New York. Mixed in with transplants from Los Angeles. Mixed with folks from Nebraska, Texas, Louisianna, Miami, DC, and just about every other rural AND larger city, moving here.

Oh, and to that we can add transplants from other countries as well. Lots of UK and European folks moving here. An increase in those from Asian countries. Latin America countries. Mexico (both legal and illegal drivers).

So, take alllllllllllllll of those people. All of those driving backgrounds, experience levels, different styles and attitudes while driving. Then, put all of them on the I-285 beltway during rush hour.

PARTY!!
http://bestsmileys.com/dancing/14.gif (broken link)

Maybe the State of GA needs to tighten up its licensing standards, institute a vehicle inspection program to get the unsafe junkers off the roads, and the cops need to enforce more than just speeding laws on secondary roads. People driving 55 in a 45 mph zone on a 7 lane road isn't the problem, but it does make counties lots of money. Maybe if a few folks started getting ticketed for riding on the bumper of the driver in front of them, things could start to change. How many wrecks need to occur on clear and dry days before people wake up to the fact that riding on my bumper in heavy traffic isn't going to get you to your destination faster, and neither is swerving into the next lane without a signal so you can sit on the bumper of the car in that lane?

I've lived and driven in the northeast for years and traveled all over the US and in Europe. In Atlanta, there is a distinct recklessness and stupidity behind the wheel that seems to be much more frequent and pronounced than in other parts of the country. Cities like NY and Boston also have immigrant and transplant populations, but you don't see the same blatant disregard for common sense and driving courtesy that you so often see here in Atlanta, despite the popular misconceptions about northeastern drivers. The closest I have seen to Atlanta is in Los Angeles. It's not so much where people are from, but the fact that they're now here in Atlanta that seems to be the issue.

Sure there are isolated idiots and stupid drivers everywhere, but it seems like the huge, well paved roads and good weather condition here in Atlanta changes something in some drivers. Wish I knew what was in the water here.

[JHoustonGriff76]

Originally Posted by neil0311

Maybe the State of GA needs to tighten up its licensing standards, institute a vehicle inspection program to get the unsafe junkers off the roads, and the cops need to enforce more than just speeding laws on secondary roads.

Another thing they really need to do is start cracking down on all the work trucks/trailers and junk haulers that aren't properly securing equipment and debris. Since I've moved here, the biggest safety hazard I've encountered has been all the tools and debris that fall off trucks on 285. I've never seen an interstate with so much junk all over it anywhere else. There has been at least four instances where I have had to act quickly to keep from running over something big (wooden pallet, shovel, ladder). The last time I wasn't so lucky and by the time I saw the piece of pipe it was too late to change lanes or stop. I had to try to go over it and got a hole punched in my exhaust system.

[yeah-yo]

The tailgating seems almost like bullying. And I am from New York, and I definitely think it is worse down here, but I am on GA400 a lot. Like they are trying to hassle people. Often you see them go from one car to the next as close as they can get. I really don't mind, but like I said it is extremely dangerous. It is not just courtesy, you can die!